88 TRAINING OF HORSES. 
With a motion of our whip we can make our horse Tiger. 
kick without fail, because we have taught him this. It 
is teaching the same thing to your horse when you strike 
him, and he soon learns his lesson so well that he will 
kick at the motion of taking up the harness. He has 
learned to associate the harness with injury to himself, 
and he supposes kicking is what you want; consequent- 
ly, the harder you strike the harder he will kick. To 
teach him a different lesson you must place him in a 
position where he can not kick, and proceed to handle 
him gently. Now ease up on the rope and caress him. 
If he is so bad that the feeling of the harness then in- 
duces him to kick, before he can do s0, if possible, pull 
up sharply upon the “Bridle.” A few quick pulls will: 
divert his attention to his mouth, and he will begin to 
find that nothing hurts him in the rear, and he will stop 
trying to kick. Loosen upon the rope and lead him 
around; perhaps half an hour may be necessary before 
he becomes perfectly reconciled ; then remove the har- 
ness. Put on the “Bridle” every time you harness or 
unharness him, for the first few days. You will perceive 
a manifest improvement by this time, and you may now 
give practice to the lesson, by putting on the head-stall. 
first when harnessing, hooking the check-rein into the 
check-hook before putting on the harness; then, if he 
shows signs of kicking, you will gently pull on the check,* 
which, reminding him of the “Yankee Bridle,” will cause 
him to hold up his head and forget his other troubles ; 
as you gently put the harness on the back and proceed 
